Chapter 55
Enoch actually thought that, among the people gathered in the cabin, the most suspicious figure wasn’t the saint who found the key, but Margaret.
She could freely use magical tools he had never seen before, and her survival skills were far too exceptional for a noblewoman.
The Margaret before him was completely different from the one he knew. It was almost as if someone else had possessed her.
“Enoch, are you alright?”
At Margaret’s call, Enoch quietly lifted his head.
Her dazzling blue eyes met his, filled with worry.
“You don’t like duck, do you?”
Only his personal aide and chef knew that he didn’t like duck.
When they had spent time together in the cave with limited food, he had forced himself to eat without showing it.
But how did Margaret know…?
Was it because she seemed to have changed into a different person? While on the island, he sometimes forgot that Margaret had once been a girl obsessed with him.
“You really know everything about me.”
“I know everything about Your Highness.”
Margaret replied playfully.
Enoch rested his chin on his hand, staring at her in mild exasperation. Yes, it was troublesome—Margaret, even now, was starting to look cute.
He must really be going crazy.
Margaret would act as if she might leave their group at any moment, yet sometimes behaved as if she knew everything about him.
And yet, if they were alone, she would pretend not to notice. It was confusing.
After thinking for a moment, Enoch spoke to her.
“Margaret, if you keep acting like this, I’ll get confused again. I’ll think you want to go off somewhere with me alone.”
“……What?”
Margaret’s expression twisted strangely as she looked at him.
She looked like she couldn’t believe what she’d heard—perhaps a little flustered as well.
“Well, truly… I never thought you’d say something like that. I suppose your fever hasn’t fully gone down yet.”
Then Enoch recalled something she had said earlier.
Could it be that Margaret still didn’t believe he cared for her?
If so, it made sense why she didn’t openly show her feelings and kept her true intentions hidden.
“I’m very curious whether your heart remains as it was in the past.”
So he deliberately asked such a straightforward question. Just then, Kaiden appeared, scratching his ear.
“I think I just heard nonsense?”
“Indeed. Anyone would think Enoch has feelings for Miss Flone. But it’s the opposite, isn’t it?”
Ruzeph muttered as he added to Kaiden’s comment. Kaiden reluctantly nodded.
“Ah—back in the past, yes.”
Kaiden’s reaction irritated Enoch. By saying “back in the past,” he was emphasizing that Margaret’s feelings now were not the same.
Enoch felt a petty surge of emotion at Kaiden, who constantly interfered.
He had been the one with Margaret from the very beginning on this island. He believed that between them had formed a bond others didn’t know about.
“So, Margaret, what’s your ideal type? If it’s about the face, I’ve got a face too.”
Kaiden cheekily placed his hand on Margaret’s shoulder. Unable to hold back, Enoch grabbed Kaiden’s wrist.
Enoch had agonized countless times over how to approach Margaret, but Kaiden always made it seem effortless and casual.
“Be careful, Lord. If you act recklessly, you might just fly away. Your right arm seems too free, as if it doesn’t want to stay attached to your body.”
Enoch’s gaze locked onto Kaiden’s arm resting on Margaret’s shoulder.
It was a lethal glare, as if he might forcibly separate Kaiden from her at any moment.
Kaiden, looking bewildered, shrugged and moved his hand away from Margaret.
“You make it difficult just to step away, huh?”
Kaiden gave Enoch a stunned look.
“I’m fine, Enoch. I’m more concerned about over there… just a moment.”
Margaret casually replied and walked toward the fireplace where Diego, Ruzeph, and Yuanna were gathered.
Enoch quietly got up and followed her.
“Are you doing well? It looks like no one here knows how to cook, so I came to check.”
Margaret asked Yuanna.
Yuanna turned to Diego, who was standing nearby. Diego couldn’t bear to look at the dead duck and kept his eyes closed.
Yuanna sighed and pointed at him.
“I don’t think he’s doing well, to be honest.”
“I can cook too. I can handle it.”
“You can’t even prepare the ingredients properly. No one else can cook either. I’ll do it.”
Margaret’s firm answer caused Yuanna to ask in curiosity.
“It’s strange. It’s my first time seeing you, yet sometimes it feels like you know us well.”
Hearing that, Enoch felt an uncomfortable prick in his throat, like a thorn.
He thought Margaret’s attention was only on him, and that she knew everything about him.
But apparently, it wasn’t just him who felt that way.
A vague, inexplicable disappointment washed over him. The reason was still unclear.
“Eh…? That’s not it. Last time, you said you weren’t good at it. And since everyone here is a noble, you probably haven’t cooked before, naturally.”
At Margaret’s rebuttal, Yuanna finally nodded in understanding. Then, still suspicious, she tilted her head and asked Margaret,
“You’re a noble too, right, Miss Flone?”
Margaret replied nonchalantly.
“I’m a little special. I’m kind of a weirdo, famous for it.”
Kaiden nearby nodded in agreement at her words.
“Ah, right. Margaret wasn’t an ordinary weirdo.”
Ruzeph added,
“You should’ve seen Miss Flone when she was obsessed with the love potion.”
“Love potion? Oh, yes. That happened.”
“How do you know that, Lord?”
“She was sponsoring the experiment, so I went to Flone Manor and caused a scene.”
Cough. Margaret cleared her throat, glancing at Kaiden.
Enoch hadn’t known this. Margaret had already been acquainted with Kaiden in that way.
While Kaiden was talking with Ruzeph, he suddenly frowned and looked at Ruzeph. The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
“Thinking back, it makes me angry. Servants of God experimenting on people? Those damn God’s servants.”
Kaiden cursed at Ruzeph, who grabbed his collar with a fierce expression.
“Are you finished talking?”
“Do I look like I’m finished? You don’t know what embarrassment is, do you?”
“Please stop, Lord!”
The voices of Ruzeph and Kaiden gradually rose. Watching them, Margaret sighed, and Enoch did not intend to intervene.
After all, it wasn’t the first time a conversation between these two men escalated into a fight.
“Let’s stop. It’s disturbing, so everyone, step aside.”
Yuanna, observing the tension, tried to calm them.
In the end, Margaret shook her head and brought the duck and cutting board in front of her.
Enoch also sat by the fireplace, following her.
Kaiden and Ruzeph seemed exhausted from their fight. Ruzeph grumbled as he walked over and flopped down beside me.
The cabin fell into a brief silence.
Kaiden, dissatisfied, busied himself giving instructions to Diego as he handled the duck.
“What? That’s not how you do it?”
Kaiden stood by the table, pointing at the duck Diego was working on, scolding him.
“Didn’t you remove the entrails? You have to take out the entrails first!”
Yuanna, helping Diego, quietly stepped back, seeing it was troublesome.
“Cut from the stomach toward the tail… ah, no… never mind. Come out.”
Kaiden pushed Diego aside, took the knife, and expertly prepared the duck.
For some reason, Kaiden’s relentless survival skills reminded me of my own. But that must be an illusion… right?
“Lord, why do you keep using casual speech? Please use honorifics.”
Diego protested with some displeasure. Kaiden, still cutting the duck, stared at him.
Because his eyes were bright red, when he stared at someone like that, it was chilling.
Diego furrowed his brows, sensing the coldness in Kaiden’s gaze. No wonder he was called a madman.
“Well, if that’s what you prefer, I’ll comply, Lord Diego.”
Kaiden answered nonchalantly. Ruzeph, sitting beside me, fumed and shifted his weight.
“Why me…?!”
Kaiden ignored Ruzeph’s outburst and cut the duck into large pieces after removing the entrails.
Watching quietly, Diego asked with a bewildered expression,
“Even though Miss Flone is like that, Lord, aren’t you a noble too? How are you so skilled at this?”
“I’ve done it a lot. I’m a mage, after all. I’ve done many experiments.”
I could tell that when Kaiden said “many experiments,” he was speaking jokingly.
Although he was a mage, Kaiden hated experiments involving living beings.
Diego, of course, didn’t know that. Yet Kaiden continued slicing the duck without further explanation.
Update soon!~